New Report Highlights Continued Worldwide Growth in
Biotechnology Crops Planted and Harvested
ISAAA’s (The
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications),
2003 Annual Review reports thatfarmers planted
67.7 million hectares (167.2 million acres) of biotech crops in 2003, an
increase of 15% from 2002. For the
seventh consecutive year, farmers around the world continued to increase
the amount of biotech crops they planted in 2003. Seven million growers
planted biotechnology crops in 18 countries, up from 6 million growers
in 16 countries in 2002. “Farmers have made up their minds,” said Clive
James, chairman and founder of ISAAA. “They continue to rapidly adopt
biotech crops because of significant agronomic, economic, environmental
and social advantages.” Land area planted with biotechnology crops has
increased by over 10% every year since they were first introduced in
1996. China increased biotechnology crops land area by 33% compared to
2002; and the Philippines grew biotechnology maize for the first time in
2003, with 20 thousand hectares being planted; Indonesian farmers
planted a small area of Bt cotton in Sulawesi.
The full report Global Status of
Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2003, can be obtained from the ISAAA
website at
www.isaaa.org.
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Walking Whittles Down Waistlines
A study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association vol 289, p 323, 2003 (Irwi M et al)
foundthat that a group of post-menopausal women (aged 50-75 years), who
switched from wholly sedentary lifestyle to a regular exercise regime
trimmed their waistlines significantly. Three hours per week of brisk
walking or riding a stationary bike, without cutting calorie intake over
a one year period, resulted in an average loss of almost 7% of
intra-abdominal fat, irrespective of any reduction in total body weight.
Excess abdominal body fat is associated
with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and heart
disease. It seems likely that the observed increased risk faced by
moderately overweight and obese Asians compared to their Caucasian
counterparts, to develop these chronic degenerative diseases is linked
to a greater tendency to deposit fat in the abdominal region.
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Internet Access to Scientific Papers for
Developing World Researchers
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of
the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with other UN institutions,
aid agencies, scientific publishers and charitable organizations, has
launched AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture). This
is a free online web portal intended to provide scientists, researchers
and students with free and low cost access to the latest scientific
literature and international reports.
Anton Mangstl , FAO’s director of the
library and documentation systems division, commented “FAO is committed
to strengthening capacity for knowledge generation and dissemination as
a contribution to achievement of the goals of the international alliance
against hunger, and as a follow-up to the World Food Summit.” Mr Mangstl
added that “AGORA demonstrates that the public and private sectors can
work together to build greater momentum towards building a world without
hunger.”
More than 400 scientific journals in
food, nutrition, agriculture, biological, environmental and social
sciences can be accessed via the portal. Registration is subject to
application and subsequent approval. It is hoped that the increased
access to scientific peer-reviewed literature will help researchers in
the developing world in their work, and to gain increased recognition
and much needed funding.
